coasterboy76 Posted August 17, 2007 Share Posted August 17, 2007 Ok, I decided to do a trip report, I unfortunatly didnt get all kinds of photos, because my camera is pretty much going out on me, and decided to use this trip to really enforce that so not really any pictures here... ------------------------------------ So we arrived at SDC on Tuesday morning, had an expensive breakfast at Molly's Mill restaurant--then it was off to the walkin.... Thunderation, (wait time 10 min.) I wanted to ride it so I could get the coaster credit, needless to say I was rather surprised at this coaster! this has to be the best mine train coaster I have been on, I liked how fast it went, and the long spirals were great. and we got to do it backwards too! Flooded Mine (no wait time) next stop was the flooded mine, I remember this one as a kid back in the 70's-- I know the shooting thing was added later, it was still fun seeing it after so many years and it still being the same. Powderkeg (wait time 5 min. ) This was a great coaster, I wasn't expecting the hill's size at the begining, and what made the ride even better was that view as you shot over the hill! I really liked this coaster alot, I liked the banked turns and dives. Fire in the hole ( wait time 3 min.) ok lets talk about Fire in the hole.... I was looking foward to riding this again after all these years. and even now sitting in the front seat I was laughing my butt off like a little kid throughout the whole ride, and loving it all the way--- Wildfire (wait time approx. 6 min.) ok now this coaster was great! the first drop was a great one, it reminded me of the first drop on the Raging Bull at SFGA. I just loved how this coaster flew over the tracks, it seemed really smooth to me too! American Plunge (no wait time) another variation of the log ride, I really enjoyed this one too, I liked how it was going through the dark tunnels. nice drop for the finish too--really good getting you wet factor. we then headed inside so we could to the Marvel cave thing, and as I figured I would, I enjoyed it very much, and that tram ride back to the top brought back some good memories! That night we headed over to Celebration City, and I was really suprised at what that park had to offer. Thunderbolt (wait time no wait) This was my first coaster of this kind, it was a definate fun ride! little jerky but fun none the less. Jackrabbit (wait time no wait) so we were walking around, and stumbled upon this one, decided easy credit and looked fun. got the front seat on this one, and was most defdefinitelyt expecting the fun I had on this. the first drop was great, and we were just getting bounced around in that car for all we could be... and had a blast doing it. Wildcat ( wait times- 6 min, 3 min, 10 min, no wait) we rode this one again and again and again... this one got added to my favorite woodie list for sure! no it didn't have big drops, but hey it was fast, and it had quick direction changes, it had lots of airtime, it diddidn'tow down for anything. someone told me I would get slammed around on it, I don't think I did.. on a scale of 1-10 I would give this at least a 8 or even a 9. I'm so glad we got lucky with low attendance at both parks this week, I'm sure the hot weather has some hand in it too, regardless of that fact..it made for an awesome trip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shavethewhales Posted August 17, 2007 Share Posted August 17, 2007 Wow, I can't believe you caught PK with only 5 min. waits. What time of the day did you ride it? Also, did you check out Grandfather's Mansion? I've been expecting them to re-vamp it, so it'd be nice to know if you spotted any signs of work on it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swoosh Posted August 17, 2007 Share Posted August 17, 2007 ^That has been put on hold for right now, but have heard something is supposed to be done to it this coming off season... we'll see Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coasterboy76 Posted August 17, 2007 Author Share Posted August 17, 2007 Wow, I can't believe you caught PK with only 5 min. waits. What time of the day did you ride it? Also, did you check out Grandfather's Mansion? I've been expecting them to re-vamp it, so it'd be nice to know if you spotted any signs of work on it. it was like 1:00 when we rode PK--honestly, the park was dead big time! of course I checked out Grandfathers Mansion, that was one of the "had to see" things, I remembered that from when I was a kid..no there wasn't any sign of work going on inside. I was kind of disappointed that the swinging bridge was closed off, was looking foward to that too.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swoosh Posted August 17, 2007 Share Posted August 17, 2007 Are you sure that you are not confusing the Swinging Bridge with Huck's Tree House? The Swining Bridge is over by the Grist Mill and is diaganol to the bridge that has the horse crossing sounds near ThuNderaTion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shavethewhales Posted August 17, 2007 Share Posted August 17, 2007 ^Actually, the bridge seems to have sporadic opening times. Sometimes I'll be there in the middle of the day and see it closed for no reason, and then I'll come back a couple of hours later and it'll be open again. Haven't they started closing off the bridge at night? And I know they've begun closing it when it rains... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swoosh Posted August 17, 2007 Share Posted August 17, 2007 They close it right before dusk and they always have it closed if it is wet outside. This is just for legal purposes -- to protect people from themselves. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coasterboy76 Posted August 17, 2007 Author Share Posted August 17, 2007 Are you sure that you are not confusing the Swinging Bridge with Huck's Tree House? The Swining Bridge is over by the Grist Mill and is diaganol to the bridge that has the horse crossing sounds near ThuNderaTion. oops! I believe that you are correct on that one! well crap...still I remember going in that treehouse thing when I was a kid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coasterboy76 Posted August 17, 2007 Author Share Posted August 17, 2007 ok so while questions of Silver Dollar City are floating around, I have a couple... I know that Powderkeg is Buzzsaw falls revamped, how much of the track was buzzsaw falls? I know the lift hill and drop are part of it, but how much more of the track was part of it.? one other question, this one is concerning Fire in the Hole... Was there ever an accident on it, back in the late 60's early 70's? as far as the crowds were on Tuesday, here is a shot I took while walking back up the hill to the main building, this was around 2 pm.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shavethewhales Posted August 17, 2007 Share Posted August 17, 2007 ^Amazing, I've never, in all my years of going there, seen it that empty except for after a major thunderstorm. Actually, the drop from Buzzsaw wasn't used in PK. I believe only part of the old turn through the woods and the lift were actually used again, but it's also somewhat possible that other pieces of track were salvaged and re-used on different parts of PK like the brake run. I've never heard of an accident on Fire-In-The-Hole, so I'm skeptical, but with that being so long ago, stories could easily conflict. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coasterboy76 Posted August 17, 2007 Author Share Posted August 17, 2007 Below is the drop for Buzzsaw falls, this isn't the same one as the hill on powderkeg? they had to have used the lift or the supports at least. they are iendtical... Powderkeg drop Buzzsaw falls drop Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coasterboy76 Posted August 17, 2007 Author Share Posted August 17, 2007 I see now that the turn on PK is shorter than when it was Buzzsaw falls though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shavethewhales Posted August 17, 2007 Share Posted August 17, 2007 Look at the track, S&S's has a spine whereas Premier's is only 2-railed. You can see the transition quite clearly at the top. They made that top turn pretty funky to allow for the new drop to be built off the old lift. I still think it's odd how they chose to re-use the lift just for that last drop and helix. The ride hits the breaks so hard, it makes you wonder what else they could have added in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swoosh Posted August 17, 2007 Share Posted August 17, 2007 Photos Swinging Bridge From this construction photo you can see where the BSF track ends on PK. Just the lift hill and then the curve right before it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coasterboy76 Posted August 17, 2007 Author Share Posted August 17, 2007 Thanks, and thanks for posting the shot of the swinging bridge. man do I feel dumb confusing it with the bridge on hucks hide out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Holtskee Posted August 18, 2007 Share Posted August 18, 2007 one other question, this one is concerning Fire in the Hole... Was there ever an accident on it, back in the late 60's early 70's? Yes, however it was in the late 70s. Fire in the Hole opened in 1972. Years ago this message was posted on the rec.roller-coaster Google group describing what happened. I'm not sure how accurate it is: "A train full of passengers had just come down the final hill was headed towards the boarding platform. Somehow (if I remember correctly, this part was due to operator error) the train veered off onto the service track and headed into the service and storage area. At the section of the track where the trains are placed when the park is closed there apparently was an enclosure that only allowed enough room for the trains to enter. (i.e., no head room) Most people in the train ducked in their seats and missed the overhang. . . except for one unfortunate man who was was killed when his head hit it. There was lots of rumors going around about this after it happened. The most popular was that people in the front of the train were trapped for hours as workers had trouble unlodging the dead person and the other was that the man was decapitated. I doubt either were true. A truly unfortunate accident." Not long after this a large section of the track was removed, shortening the ride by about 40 seconds. Don't know if that was a direct result of the accident or not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coasterboy76 Posted August 19, 2007 Author Share Posted August 19, 2007 I knew that something had happened, I was just wanting the details on the accident., thanks for the info. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shavethewhales Posted August 19, 2007 Share Posted August 19, 2007 Not long after this a large section of the track was removed, shortening the ride by about 40 seconds. Don't know if that was a direct result of the accident or not. Are you sure about that? That would have to be a huge section of the ride. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coasterboy76 Posted August 19, 2007 Author Share Posted August 19, 2007 Not long after this a large section of the track was removed, shortening the ride by about 40 seconds. Don't know if that was a direct result of the accident or not. Are you sure about that? That would have to be a huge section of the ride. thats what I was asking about, I had read in a couple of places that a section of the ride had been removed since the accident.. I still think its where that wikipedia site says that it is. " If you look close at the scene where the cabin is burning there is a moon and some stars above one of the old track areas." ---this is where the change is supposed to have taken place. when riding this week, the first time I rode it I noticed the moon and stars up in the air by the cabin on fire, where the woman says the thing about "git yer pants on" but the only thing is, they are hidden behind a wall-- you see them over the top of the wall--which leads me to believe that there was something behind that wall years ago. I also remember that section with the bridge being more open than it is, and I know it wasn't because I was a kid either, it use to be bigger in there.. remember I am not talking 20 years ago, I am talking like mid 70's..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Holtskee Posted August 19, 2007 Share Posted August 19, 2007 Are you sure about that? That would have to be a huge section of the ride. [From what I have gathered elsewhere] The removed section was apparently considerable. It featured some additional scenes and an optical illusion that made the track look as if it was broken. I read there was recorded dialog piped over the track of a man yelling with a country twang "YOUR GONNA CRASH!" To my knowledge, Blazing Fury at SDCTN/Dollywood wasn't built with this section, so I assume the accident and the track modifications occurred before 1978. That said, in another thread someone stated that this section never existed, so perhaps you should e-mail Silver Dollar City and ask them directly. I'm sure they would be happy to clear it up. The reason I believe it is because I've read stories of it from three different people over the years. At any rate the accident did occur in the 70s. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coasterboy76 Posted August 19, 2007 Author Share Posted August 19, 2007 From what I remember, the track was broken, and the train headed straight for the section that was broken, then turned at the last minute. I will try emailing SDC and get the solid scoop on it... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swoosh Posted August 19, 2007 Share Posted August 19, 2007 ^If that scene ever existed, it must have been before my time. The ride has always been the way it is now ever since I started riding it. The moon and stars are visible at the very start of the ride on the left side and then later on they are visible on the right in the scene where the guy is on his dock leaning down to get water in his bucket to put out the fire in his house. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrkstl Posted August 20, 2007 Share Posted August 20, 2007 From what I remember, the track was broken, and the train headed straight for the section that was broken, then turned at the last minute. That's about how I remember it too. My first time there was in the mid 1970's, probably 75-76 and I vividly remember the broken track illusion. I have a warped recollection that there was also a mock-up of a crashed train below, but I can't be too sure of that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MisterP Posted August 21, 2007 Share Posted August 21, 2007 I've been going since childhood and it seems to me that FITH has changed very little since I first went in the late 70's. But I'm old and my memory is bad from years of abusing the cells. And did I hear Grandfather's Mansion is getting a refurb? That thing really hasn't changed since the 70's. Except I think they took out the ladder that leads to a hole in the ceiling where you pop your head in and something in the dark "attic" growled at you. Or something to that respect. Again, the memory thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kraken613 Posted August 22, 2007 Share Posted August 22, 2007 I see what was Grandfathers Mansion everytime I go to Dollywood I wish they would open it so I could see what it is like. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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